The Game
Luton Town v Argyle. Kenilworth Road. Tuesday, 24 February. 7pm. Vertu Trophy quarter-final.
The Competition
Argyle came second in their qualifying group, beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 and Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s 6-2, before losing 1-0 to Bristol Rovers.
Coming second meant a second-round tie against Group F winners Leyton Orient, with Argyle winning 1-0 thanks to an injury-time winner by Lorent Tolaj. In the next round, the Greens once again faced Bristol Rovers, and won a topsy-turvy contest 4-3, with a Bim Pepple goal in injury time putting the Pilgrims through.
Luton were drawn into a group with Barnet, Brighton Under-21s and Cambridge United, beating the first two, 4-1 and 3-1 respectively, losing to Cambridge in between.
In the second round, the Hatters won 4-0 at home to Exeter City, and then faced Swindon Town, also at Kenilworth Road. The game finished 2-1 to Swindon but, after a lengthy process, the EFL ruled against the Robins for fielding ineligible players, and Luton were reinstated.
The Opposition
In the league, Luton sit 10th in League One, with 46 points from 33 games, the same record as Argyle. Luton have achieved their tally from 13 wins and seven draws, compared to Argyle’s 14 wins and four draws.
Luton have been particularly strong at home, especially of late. They have not lost in their last 11 at home, and have only lost three times in the league at Kenilworth Road, one of which was against Argyle.
Their last three games have yielded just one point. Defeats at Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic were followed by Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Burton Albion.
The Gaffer
Former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere is Luton Town’s current manager. The 34-year-old came through Arsenal’s academy as a youngster, catching the eye of Arsène Wenger, who integrated him into the Gunners’ first team.
Wilshere made his senior debut for Arsenal in 2008 and went on to feature 194 times for the Reds across the next decade. The midfielder also had loan spells away from the Emirates in that period, one with Bolton Wanderers and the other with AFC Bournemouth. During his time at Arsenal, Wilshere won the FA Cup twice before joining West Ham United in 2018, then moving on to Bournemouth.
He spent just one season with the Cherries before being released and heading to Denmark to sign for AGF. After his contract was not extended, the playmaker decided to retire in 2022, at the age of 30.
Throughout his playing career, Wilshere also represented England, earning 34 caps over eight years, scoring twice. Upon retiring, Wilshere was announced by Arsenal as the new head coach of their under-18 side.
Next, Wilshere took a post as first-team coach at Norwich City under Johannes Hoff Thorup, but departed when the Dane was sacked last year. He was then appointed at Luton in October.
Previous Meetings
The sides have met twice in the league this season, with Argyle winning both times. A 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road was a wild affair, with Matty Sorinola and Bradley Ibrahim, with two goals, on the mark for Argyle, in a game which saw Joe Edwards and Tom Cleverley sent off.
At Home Park, in January, the Greens won 1-0, with Brendan Galloway scoring the game’s only goal.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their pink third kit for the game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with the Pre-Match Show at 6.40pm, with Charlie Price. Then, there will be commentary from Kenilworth Road from Rob McNichol and Ben Tozer.
Match passes to watch this game on Argyle TV are available overseas, while the match is available to watch on Sky Sports+ in the UK & Ireland. CLICK HERE for more information.
